THE BIG IDEA
Fresh juice is finally being recognized as a powerful health-booster and effective way to help your body function at its best. However, juice bars are pricey and sometimes hard to find, and home juicers are big, loud, messy, and expensive. Why does juicing have to be such a pain?
This is the story of how The Grate Juicer was born.
We wanted a way to create juice shots (ginger, turmeric, etc.) that was as small as possible, didn't need electricity, was mess-free, and could double as an ingredient or juice storage container. Every one of these desires had to be met 100% before we would be satisfied.
DESIGN
Countless hours of material research and multiple prototypes went into the design process before we settled on the best design for The Grate Juicer.
We were determined to create a manual juicer that was portable but effective. When you carry a bag, every ounce that you put into that bag feels like a pound when it's carried on your body. If you're packing a suitcase, every item is chosen carefully and space is at a premium.
When we came across the idea to use a regular mouth mason jar as the vessel, we got really excited. This meant that you have the option to travel with or without the jar – for an ultra compact, lightweight device to pack. Then upon arrival to your destination, you could purchase a mason jar - something that is affordable and relatively easy to find at general stores or grocery stores. You can also use a larger regular mouth mason jar for more juice or more storage.
Next, we needed to make sure that this little juicer was hard-working and effective. This is why we settled on using stainless-steel for the grater, strainer, and plunger instead of plastic-based materials. Each design iteration was influenced by informal focus groups who gave feedback on each concept, and by critical questioning from our professional network of inventors, designers, and professional food industry folks. We wanted to create a design that produced great juice shots, was aesthetically pleasing, simple to use, and easy to clean.
It is important to us to try to make this product as locally as possible, and we're very proud to be a part of Portland Made.
Whether you are a cross-town commuter, a backpacker, an international traveler, or live a minimalist lifestyle - we want to bring you fresh and easy juice shots.
HOW IT WORKS
Store your juicer assembled, or remove the plunger and strainer and store ingredients in the regular mouth mason jar.
1. When you're ready to juice, start with the strainer and grate firmly attached to your mason jar. Make sure your silicon lid is placed on the bottom to prevent skidding. As you grate, pulp falls right into the strainer.
2. When you're done grating, remove the grater.
3. Your pulp is ready for pressing.
4. Use your plunger press to squeeze all that fresh juice from the pulp. Our high-grade strainer lets juice through and keeps out solid matter.
Once complete, remove all of the Grate Juicer attachments and enjoy your delicious, fresh, raw, pure wellness shot. Drink it straight or add to other juices. Cheers!
TIMELINE
MANUFACTURING
The Grate Juicer needs your help to get manufactured and out to the public in 2018. We have used our 3D-printed prototypes to create drawing packages for various manufacturers and have received multiple cost estimates. The money we raise will go almost entirely into tooling for our stainless-steel juicer. Once we have the tooling, we will be able to manufacture the Grate Juicer at the market rate. Your contribution will kickstart our first batch of product!
GRATE JUICER TEAM
The Grate Juicer is a product created by Red Roots Design, a company founded by Amanda Silvestri in 2017.
AMANDA SILVESTRI
Portland, OR | Red Roots Design
Amanda began her career as a budget analyst for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She later started her first business, a juice and smoothie bar, and discovered her passion for entrepreneurship. When she isn't designing new juicers, she spends her time taking dance classes and fulfilling her wanderlust.
DENNIS VEATCH
Portland, OR | CreatID
CreatID is the brainchild of Dennis Veatch, a freelance industrial designer. From concept to production, we design award-winning, consumer-conscious products with nothing but innovation. With nearly two decades of experience in each step of the product design lifecycle, we support your vision in-house using the best professionals and vendors in the industry.
SANDRA PENNINGTON
Orlando, FL | Independent Consultant
Sandra currently works as an Acquisition Logistics Manager for the Federal Government and is a U.S. Army Disabled War Veteran. She is fascinated with discovery, invention and innovative solutions to sustainability.
ALICIA NAGEL
Honokaa, HI | Alicia Nagel Creative
Alicia has provided marketing strategy and design services to start-ups and agencies for nearly a decade in Portland, OR before recently relocating to Hawaii.
Kickstarter Video Music: Sunny - Bensound.com
THANK YOU!
